How to Gear up Your Website for the Shopping Season

As the holidays get closer, traffic over ecommerce websites will noticeably increase, and many of those hits will be first time visitors. This is the opportunity to turn people who are just looking, into repeat visitors.

Customer service is one of the most important aspects when it comes to persuading potential customer to become regulars.

Related: How to Make Your E-Commerce Site Gain Competitive Advantage

Determine Your Top Priority Getting your to-do list in order should be your top priority. Mark your calendar for all of the big dates (post-Halloween, Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas Eve, post-Christmas sales, and New Year’s Day) and determine what you need to have in place by each of these.

There will be a flurry of activity around both of the major holidays, so you need to have a plan in place as to how you will handle site maintenance, customer service, and inventory during this time.

Don't forget to make sure you have enough supplies for shipping goods.

Update Your Customer Service You need to get your customer service portions of your website ready for use as soon as possible.

Improve Website Experience There are a few things you can do now to prepare for the season before it becomes an emergency.

• Read through your company’s customer service information, policies, and procedures on your site. Make sure the directions are easy to follow, and that it is easy to find help if something happens.
• Add live chat to your website. Being able to immediately ask for help without having to call lets users focus on the issue.
• Evaluate the possibility of temporary help over the holidays.
• Review shipping and return policies for clarity and updates. If possible, see about adding a calculator that will let customers know how much returns will cost.
• Determine how you want the page to look. Having a couple of reviews will help you see what works and what doesn’t.
• Make sure gift card options are available and easy to find, and that you have it as an available method of payment at the checkout.
• Update FAQs about your goods and services, particularly if you handle a lot of technology.